ITMA 2015

World Textile Summit 2015 to explore the business benefits of an effective sustainability strategy

Mr. Du Yuzhou, President of China National Textile & Apparel Council spoke at the World Textile Summit (WTS) 2011 in Barcelona. (c) 2014 Cematex

The second World Textile Summit (WTS) will explore sustainability strategies that create business value in the textile manufacturing value chain. Scheduled for 13 November 2015, and co-located with ITMA 2015 in Milan, WTS 2015 will be a unique one-day event that brings together the world's most influential textile leaders to debate issues of strategic importance to the global industry. It is owned and organised by CEMATEX, WTiN and MP Expositions.

In line with the key themes of ITMA 2015, WTS 2015 will seek to answer sustainability questions that matter to the industry's strategic decision-makers:

What return should I expect from capital investment in resource-efficient technologies?

How do I establish and monitor a sustainable supply chain?

What are the market opportunities that arise from a strategy based on clean production and sustainable materials?

How do I manage the risks to corporate reputation?

Charles Beauduin, President of CEMATEX, said: "ITMA 2015 will be an opportunity for manufacturers to view and compare the latest in resource-efficient textile technologies. Such investments take place against a policy background where senior decision-makers have to consider their sustainability strategies against corporate objectives. World Textile Summit 2015 will help to place sustainability in its context as a key component of value creation in any business.”

Mark Jarvis, Managing Director of WTiN, said, "WTS 2015 will be different from other conferences examining sustainable methods in textile manufacturing. Instead of delving into the detail of technical solutions, delegates will hear from international experts on the business value created through a strong sustainability strategy.”

Programme development will be assisted by an advisory panel that currently includes: Jason Kibbey, Executive Director of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition; Jonas Eder-Hansen, Programme Director of the Nordic Initiative Clean & Ethical; LaRhea Pepper, Managing Director of Textile Exchange; Patrick Laine, CEO of the Better Cotton Initiative; Baroness Young of Hornsey, Chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, and Ambassador for the Ethical Fashion Forum and MADE-BY; and Saskia Hedrich, Senio Knowledge Expert, Apparel Fashion & Luxury, at McKinsey & Co.

Eileen Ng, Project Director of ITMA 2015, said: "With almost 16 months still to go, WTS 2015 is already attracting strong support from the broader textile community. We are very pleased to have the Textile Institute and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition on board as our supporting partners.”

Leading textile machinery companies SPGPrints, MS Italy and Oerlikon have also confirmed their sponsorship of the event, as has the sustainable-manufacturing specialist bluesign technologies.